1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a liquid spraying apparatus which can spray an image forming solvent appropriately onto an image recording material such as a photosensitive material, an image recording material or the like, and to a method of manufacturing the liquid spraying apparatus.
2. Description of the Related Art
An image forming apparatus which effects an image recording process by using two types of image recording materials including, for example, a photosensitive material and an image receiving material has been known.
Inside this type of image forming apparatus, an image forming solvent application section having a tank for storing image forming solvent to apply to the photosensitive material is disposed. Further, a heat developing and transferring section comprising a heat drum and an endless press-contact belt, which is pressed into contact with the outer circumference of the heat drum and, rotated together with the heat drum.
The photosensitive material onto which an image is exposed, while being nipped and conveyed inside the image forming apparatus, is dipped into a tank storing therein water which is used as an image forming solvent at the image forming solvent application section. After water is applied to the photosensitive material, it is conveyed to the heat developing and transferring section. The image receiving material is also conveyed to the heat developing and transferring section, in the same manner as the photosensitive material.
In the heat developing and transferring section, the photosensitive material which has been subjected to water application is laminated with the image receiving material. In this laminated state, the photosensitive material is kept into close contact with the outer circumference of the heat drum and is rolled around the heat drum. Further, the photosensitive material and the image receiving material are nipped and conveyed between the heat drum and the endless press-contact belt. The photosensitive material is heat-developed and an image is transferred to the image receiving material, and a predetermined image is formed (recorded) on the image receiving material.
However, when the photosensitive material is dipped in a tank storing therein water as an image forming solvent and this water is applied to the photosensitive material, the water which has already been in contact with the photosensitive material consequently ends up remaining stored in the tank. As a result, bacteria breeds in the tank by taking organic material slightly eluted from the photosensitive material as a nutrient, and the water is thereby soiled. By this, the image forming apparatus itself and the image quality may be deteriorated.
Accordingly, a method in which the water supplying sides of a tank or the like and the photosensitive material do not come into contact with each other, and fine water droplets are sprayed from a sprayer and applied to the photosensitive material by vibrating a nozzle plate having a plurality of nozzle holes has been thought of.
However, at times when the sprayer is filled with water, such as when it is first used, the water pressure inside the sprayer may be in a higher positive pressure state than the outside air pressure. For this reason, since the nozzle holes which spray the water droplets cannot operate as valves to stem the flow of water, there is the concern that water may leak from the nozzle holes